“Can you blame her?” Ryker asked.
She shook her head, watching his Adam’s apple bob as he took another pull of his beer. “Nope, not after everything that’s happened,” she admitted.
He took a bite of his spicy kung pao chicken, and she just watched him for a moment. He’d kept the close beard he’d been sporting on the flight back. It was sexy, which kind of surprised her—she’d always been attracted to clean shaven guys. Ryker was the opposite of her type of man in many ways—not that that was necessarily a bad thing.
And not that they were dating.
She was used to being around assertive guys at work. The other federal agents she dealt with certainly were used to taking charge—and it wasn’t just State. The officials she helped to guard sometimes had a Secret Service entourage with them. She’d certainly butted heads more than once with the men she worked with.
Ryker practically blew those guys out of the water though with his raw masculinity. Sure, maybe they could all handle a gun and hit their mark, but he was a freaking Navy SEAL who jumped out of airplanes and stormed into terrorist camps.
Planning out specialized ops and improvising on the fly was what those guys did best. They probably trained for every scenario, just like she did. She was certain that she didn’t even know the half of what he was capable of though.
“What do you do with the SEALs?” she asked. “I mean, do you each have a specialty or something like that?”
“I’m a sniper,” he said.
“Really?”
“Affirmative. We all have to pass the same training in BUD/S, of course, but we do each have a skill set. Hunter’s our team leader. Colton handles the explosives. I’m a sniper.”
“That makes sense. We train down at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Georgia. I assume you had to train out in Coronado?”
“That’s right. The other SEAL team with us when we rescued you is based out of there.”
“Raptor’s team.”
“Yep,” Ryker said with a chuckle. “They’re good guys.”
“Well, I’ll forever be indebted to all of you for saving me,” she said, taking another small bite of her food. Ryker was completely done, and she asked if he wanted another beer.
“Nah, I’m good. I assume your friend did your grocery shopping?”
“I ordered stuff from the hospital and had it delivered,” Emily admitted. “I usually do that anyway since I’m gone for long stints and then need a ton when I get back. It’s kind of a weird life sometimes.”
“I get that,” Ryker said, nodding. He stretched his long legs out, leaning back in the armchair. She tried not to let her eyes trail down his body, but damn, even his thighs looked muscular in the jeans he had on.
Ryker looked relaxed for the moment, but she didn’t doubt he could be up and ready to roll out in an instant.
“So what did the other guys think of you coming all the way up here?” she asked.
“My teammates?” He shrugged. “They got it. Each of them has a woman of their own. I’m single, but hell. I felt responsible for you.”
“That’s kind of crazy,” she said with a laugh.
He nailed her with a gaze. “I’m protective of people I care about. It goes with the job, I guess. But the idea of you alone here bothered me for reasons I can’t even begin to say.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
A beat passed, and she felt a strange electric current surging between them. Her eyes trailed over his chiseled jaw, the scruff of his short beard. She met his dark gaze again. If this was a date, they might be moving closer to one another right about now. They’d at least be sitting side by side on the sofa, not looking at one another from several feet away.
But it wasn’t a date. And he’d leave in a couple days, with her probably never seeing him again. The danger he was worried about would blow over. He’d move on to his next mission. And she’d get on with her life and put this entire situation behind her.
“Who knows,” Ryker finally said. “Maybe both. It doesn’t matter, because I’m not the same as my teammates.”
“You don’t like women?” she teased.
Ryker guffawed. “Hell, sweetheart, nothing like that. But they’re all running home to their serious girlfriends tonight. Some of them already live with their woman.”
“And Hunter’s engaged,” Emily said.
Ryker nodded. “Engaged and they’re expecting a baby. I’ve never met a woman where I thought it could end with forever. That’s just not my thing I guess.”
“Mine either,” Emily said vehemently.
“You don’t want to get married someday?” Ryker asked, looking at her in disbelief.
“Married? I don’t know. I definitely don’t want kids. I love my career, and I’ve worked hard to get here. But I travel a lot—you get it, I know. If anyone understands, it’s probably you. I go off on TDYs of various lengths. I literally put my life on the line sometimes to protect others. I can take a stint for a year or two in another country if it sounds interesting. There’s nothing tying me down or holding me back. But having children to worry about in that equation? I’m just not interested.”
“Hmmm,” he said, still looking like he didn’t quite believe her.
“Why does that surprise you?” she asked, cocking her head as she looked at him.
“You’re different than most women I meet. I mean, sure, plenty are up for a night together or a good time. They don’t necessarily want anything serious right now. But all of them want to settle down someday in the future. Maybe not with me, but certainly with another man. They all want kids and the white picket fence.”
“Maybe you’ve just been around the wrong women,” she said. “Do you see any picket fences here?”
“Maybe so,” he conceded with a low chuckle.
Emily rose from the sofa, and she didn’t miss the way Ryker’s eyes trailed over her. She had on a tee shirt and slim jogger sweatpants. Both were a little bit loose, truth be told, thanks to her month in captivity. She had a thong on beneath her joggers but hadn’t bothered with a bra. Why risk irritating her injured ribs?
She gathered up her leftover food and moved to the kitchen, stashing it in the fridge. A loud car alarm outside made her jump, but she knew she was being foolish. Georgetown was always busy, full of cars and traffic and people. She’d have to get used to life in the city again. It sure as hell beat the solitude of a lone room with nothing but a dingy bed.
Grabbing her cell phone off the counter, she quickly texted both her parents and Caroline back. All of them had wanted to check up on her.
Another number beeped with an incoming text, and she saw it was from an agent she knew from work.
Hope you’re doing okay, Swenson. See you back in the office soon.
She frowned, setting her phone back down. Well wishes were nice, she supposed, but it’s not like he’d offered to help her out if she needed anything.
“What’s wrong?” Ryker asked as he walked into the kitchen and caught the expression on her face.
“Nothing. It was just a text from a colleague of mine.”
“You look beat,” he said, setting his empty plate on the counter. “You should get some rest.”
“And what are you going to do?” she asked. She had a man staying with her for the entire weekend. She couldn’t just go to bed and let him hang out here alone...could she? Would she really just leave him to handle cleaning up while she called it a night?
“I’m doing exactly what I came to do—watching the place and looking into the few leads we have. I’ll be fine out here. This is your first night back at your place—you should get some rest. Don’t worry about me.”
She yawned despite herself, seemingly proving his point. “All right,” she said, grabbing her cell phone off the counter. “But come wake me up if you find out anything important.”
“Will do,” he assured her.
“Okay. Well, goodnight Ryker.”
“’Night Emily
,” he said in a low voice, watching her with that dark gaze again. She turned, trying to ignore whatever attraction was beginning to brew between them. It was silly, really. He was here because he thought of her as a job, nothing more.
She padded down the hallway to her bedroom, briefly wondering what he would sleep in and if she should’ve grabbed him a pillow. The low hum of the TV drifted down the hallway, and she turned off her light, too tired to even brush her teeth before bed. She left her door cracked open so that she could hear him and then drifted off into an uneasy slumber.
Chapter 13
RYKER FROWNED AT THE text on his cell phone later that night, scanning over it a second time. Despite Hunter’s insistence earlier that Ryker was worried about nothing, this didn’t bode well. This just proved he’d been right all along. Damn it.
I think someone’s after her.
He quickly thumbed a response, asking for more information. His phone buzzed immediately with Hunter’s reply.
Two men traveling under aliases flew out of London on Wednesday.
We think they work for Izallah.
They landed at Dulles.
Ryker muttered a curse, standing up and crossing Emily’s living room. Dulles Airport was just forty-five minutes outside of Washington, DC. And these guys had been here for a couple of days? Jesus Christ.
Emily had been sound asleep for several hours, and he’d been culling through information, hoping to glean something new that had been missed. But it sounded like they finally had solid intel and his hunch had been right all along. Emily was in danger, and if he hadn’t come up here, who knows what the hell would’ve happened. Who knows if she would’ve been taken once more.
He quickly thumbed a response to Hunter.
Who are they? I need names.
Ryker waited a beat and then cursed when Hunter didn’t respond right away. He didn’t like the idea of sitting around here just waiting for someone to show up. For something to happen. If they landed at Dulles several days ago, they could easily have been hanging around DC since then, scoping out her condo. How’d they discover her name so quickly though? The media had barely gotten wind of the story.
They must’ve tracked her down from whatever government ID they’d taken from her. But why?
His phone buzzed, and he answered the call in a low voice.
“I hate to admit it, but you were right,” Hunter said. “Emily is in danger.”
“God damn it,” Ryker said. “How do you know? Who are these guys?”
“Contacts of Izallah’s. One of them used to live in the U.S.—he’s American. He moved his entire family to Afghanistan. He’s probably the guy with the teenage daughter that Emily told me about. Apparently, he’s developed a strong dislike of westerners—especially western women. Although we still don’t know if someone sold them out when they were on patrol that night, leading to Emily’s capture, we do know they’re after her now.”
“He doesn’t like that we rescued her?” Ryker asked.
“Fuck no. He wants to bring her back there. They held her for an entire month to get her to Izallah. She’s worth a lot of money to them. They’re not willing to just let her go now.”
“That’s bullshit. It’s hard to believe anyone would go to such crazy lengths over a woman.”
“They’re extremists,” Hunter said. “There is no rhyme or reason to anything they do.”
“I know, it’s just—Jesus. I had a bad feeling, and I hoped I was wrong. But you’re right—they were saving her for a month for that asshole, moving her from camp to camp, so I guess they didn’t like that we swooped in right before he was going to make her his wife.”
“Apparently not,” Hunter said. “They must not have gotten paid yet for taking her.”
“I should get her out of here,” Ryker said, his gaze sweeping around the living room. He glanced out the window of her condo overlooking Georgetown, and quickly crossed over to it. He shut the blinds. “I need to take her somewhere that’s safe.”
“Are you bringing her down here?”
“I don’t know. It might be safer to keep her away from other military right now—not that they know who specifically rescued her. They shouldn’t know that.”
“We still don’t know if there was a mole on base,” Hunter said. “Or there could’ve been a shady informant. If there was, it’s possible he or she could’ve slipped Izallah’s men intel that she was rescued by a SEAL team. It’s too hard to track us down, even if they don’t have our specific names.”
Ryker muttered a curse, scrubbing a hand over his jaw. “You’re right. We might just hole away somewhere up here for now. Is State tracking them down? They should have surveillance from Dulles if these two are suspects.”
“I’ll find out who’s taking the lead on that,” Hunter replied. “My guess is the FBI since they’re on U.S. soil. Not that that would stop any of us from taking them out if they show up trying to harm Emily.”
“Damn straight it wouldn’t,” Ryker spat out. His eyes swept the room once more, and he wondered if he should pack up some of Emily’s things before he woke her. He needed to get her far away from Georgetown.
Jesus.
The poor woman was finally planning to get a night’s sleep in her own bed, and he was going to move her. The FBI could lay in wait though. He wanted her far, far away from anyone intending to do her harm.
Rage surge through him at the thought of those assholes’ hands on Emily. He hadn’t seen the bruising on her ribs, but the lump on her forehead was enough to make him see red. There was no telling what they’d do if they got a hold of her once more. If they dare touched her or harmed her, he’d end them.
“Keep me updated,” Hunter said. “I talked to the CO and told him you’d be gone longer than expected.”
“Roger that,” Ryker replied. “I’ll stay with her until we’re certain it’s safe. I’ll update you later with our location.”
Ryker ended the call and slid his phone into his pocket. Stuffing his few belongings back into his bag, his gaze landed on the groceries in the kitchen. He should bring some food and supplies with them as well. There was no way of knowing how long it would take for this to end.
Presumably the FBI could track and detain the two men, but what if they’d gone underground? He wasn’t going to rely on someone else to protect his—
A sudden scream had him turning in an instant and rushing down the hallway, weapon drawn. He edged into Emily’s room and quickly holstered his gun as he flipped on the light switch and saw Emily alone in her bed. She was sitting up, twisted in her sheets, covered in a fine sheen of sweat and shaking.
“Emily, sweetheart,” he said, quickly crossing the room to her. She was gasping for breath as she trembled, and he knelt down beside her, hesitant to even touch her. “It was just a bad dream. A nightmare. I’m right here,” he assured her.
“Ryker?” she whispered.
“Yeah, it’s me, baby,” he said, leaning over and brushing a strand of hair back from her face. Frightened brown eyes met his. He wanted to comfort her more, to pull her into his arms, but that didn’t seem appropriate yet. Watching her tremble right in front of him made his gut clench.
He settled for reaching over and taking her hand, feeling her delicate fingers in his own. She seemed so fragile in this moment compared to his own mass and strength. His thumb brushed over her skin in a light caress, and she suddenly burst into tears.
“I dreamt I was back there, alone in that dark room. They’d lock me in all night, and even though they didn’t hurt me, it was unnerving. I swore I was still stuck in there—it just all felt so real.”
“Shhh,” he murmured, unable to stop himself as he collected her in his arms. “You’re here at home and safe.”
“Thank God,” she whispered, letting herself relax against him. It killed him that he had to take her away from the security and comfort of her own home, from her own bed. They were short on options though. Sure, he could take down someone if they burst
in here, but hell. He didn’t want to risk her getting hurt in the crossfire.
Ryker needed her somewhere safe for the time being. She deserved to rest and recover without looking over her shoulder every moment.
He let his large hand trail over her back for a moment, comforting her, but then he pulled back.
“We have to leave,” he said urgently.
“Leave? Why? You just said it was safe.”
“You are safe, and I intend to keep it that way. You can’t stay here tonight though. I’ll explain everything in the car, but I need you to pack a bag so we can go.”
“What? No! I just got back here. This is my first night home. I’m not letting some assholes on the other side of the world scare me from living my own life. It was just a dream! I’m safe in my own home.”
“They’re not on the other side of the world—they’re here, right in DC. Hunter just got word that two of Izallah’s men flew into Dulles the other day. They could be watching your condo, somewhere right here in the building. It’s been on the news that you were released from the hospital today. We have to get out of here.”
“Ryker, I can’t leave. I won’t,” she insisted, glaring at him.
She looked so goddamn vulnerable and beautiful in the moment, it slayed him. Her dark hair fell around her slender shoulders. Supple breasts pushed against her tee shirt. Even without trying, she was sexy as hell. For a split second, Ryker had a crazy image of her exactly like this in his bed—rumpled from a night of making love, hair tousled, lips full and swollen from his kisses.
It was so real it was unnerving. Like he’d just seen an image from his future with this woman he’d known for mere days.
Shaking his head as he tried to clear his thoughts, he met her gaze. “We’re going,” he insisted. “We’re leaving right now even if I have to kidnap you myself.”
“Kidnap—what? You can’t kidnap me. Don’t be ridiculous.”
Ryker’s lips quirked. “Why the hell not? I’m bigger than you. I’m armed. You’re coming with me.”
Kidnapped by a SEAL Page 8
